SCOTUS Vacancies in election years, a thread:

tl;dr version: There is no precedent for not considering SCOTUS nominee when Pres/Sen are different parties. Only happened once before 2016, and that was when POTUS made a nomination *after losing the election* 1/

Counting 2020, there have been 15 SCOTUS vacancies in presidential election years. Only 4 of them occurred when POTUS and Senate were of different parties. They were:

Trimble, 1828 - POTUS Dem-Rep/Senate Jacksonian
Strong, 1880 - R/D
Waite, 1888 - D/R
Scalia, 2016 D/R

2/

William Woods was confirmed to Strong's seat in only 6 days. Melville Fuller was confirmed as Chief Justice after Waite.

John Q. Adams waited 4 months before nominating John C. Crittenden. By then, he had lost the election to Andrew Jackson & Senate *voted* to postpone 3/

So in the history of the Republic, only once prior to 2016 had the Senate not considered a nominee, and that was 188 years prior.

Keep that in mind when your senator talks about their flip-flop from then to now. No precedent. No tradition. Strictly power politics. 4/4